"Najib reports to MACC !"
MACC man: Internal directive ignored
"Najib's Distant ousin Nadir"
A senior Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) official said that he felt a sense of responsibility for leaving Teoh Beng Hock unguarded as it defied an internal memorandum on the matter.
The memo, according to Hishamuddin Hashim, who was the former Selangor MACC deputy director, required enforcement officers to stay with visitors, including witnesses and suspects, until they exit the office.
azlanHishamuddin explained to the royal commission of inquiry investigating Teoh's death that the memo was issued after an incident where a witness has caught “roaming” about the offices of the graft busters.
The internally circulated document was issued about a month before Teoh was taken in as a witness to the Selangor MACC office, then located at Plaza Masalam, Shah Alam.
Teoh, the political aide to Seri Kembangan assemblyperson Ean Yong Hian Wah, was questioned overnight from July 15to 16, 2009 on several allegations of state fund misuse against his employer at the MACC's 14th floor office.
He was discovered dead on the fifth floor service corridor of the same building and an 18-month-long inquest into his death delivered an open verdict.
The royal commission was then formed to find the root cause that resulted in his fatal fall and if there were any violation of procedures on the part of the anti-graft agency.
Previously, investigation officer Mohd Anuar Ismail, who led the probe on funds misappropriation, admitting to neglecting Teoh as he was “too tired” and thus “fell asleep” in the office while other officers were questioning the deceased.
'Who was to be blamed?'
Inquiry panel chief James Foong asked Hishamuddin, since a memo was issued and the officer had left Teoh unsupervised, “who was to be blamed?”
Foong: (According to the memo) an officer must stay with visitors. In this case, as Teoh wanted to stay back to rest... and we have heard of other instances where witnesses are too scared to leave immediately... what happens? Does the officer stay until they leave?
Hishamuddin: In my memo an officer has to wait (with the visitor) until the end.
Foong: But you must know by now that your officers had either gone home or were sleeping that night.
Hishamuddin: It's not the case always where a witness wants to stay overnight at the office.
Foong: So in this case who do we take into account, as by your memo someone is at fault, right?
Hishamuddin: The last officer with the witness and the investigating officer.
The senior man conceded that Mohd Anuar and Mohd Nazri Ibrahim, who took Teoh's statement in the wee hours of July 16, were “responsible” for Teoh.
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